AUBURN, Ala. – The Florida Atlantic men's basketball team will take part in their second and final exhibition game of 2024, traveling to Auburn to take on the Tigers on Friday, Nov. 1. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. EST.
As a last tune-up before the start of the regular season, the Owls will make their first visit to Auburn since 1994 in a charity matchup that will benefit the university's Melton Scholars Program. They will face a formidable opponent in the Tigers, who are the reigning champions of the Southeastern Conference.
Florida Atlantic began the
John Jakus era with a rousing 104-53 victory at the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena in an exhibition game against St. Leo. The team was led by a mix of old and new with freshman center
Matas Vokietaitis scoring 23 points on 8-for-10 shooting and returning redshirt junior forward
Tre Carroll adding 21 while going 9-for-12 from the field.
- Jakus enters his first season at the helm of the Owls
- The team brings back four returning players: Carroll, redshirt freshman guards Devin Vanterpool and Jakel Powell, and redshirt sophomore guard Jack Johnson
- Of the Owls' 11 additions, six were acquired via the transfer portal and five freshmen come from the international pool
- Three players: graduate guard KyKy Tandy (Jacksonville State), junior guard Leland Walker (Eastern Kentucky), and redshirt senior guard Ken Evans Jr. (Jackson State), are coming off seasons in which they were first team all-conference at their previous spots, with Evans winning Player of the Year for the Southwestern Athletic Conference
- As a team, FAU was ranked fifth in the American Athletic Conference's Preseason Coaches' poll. Tandy was named to the preseason All-AAC Second Team
- In total, the Owls are represented by seven different countries: the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Senegal, and Spain
- Auburn is led by Head Coach Bruce Pearl, entering his 11th season with the program
- The Tigers have rattled off three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances
- Among the team's returners is their top scorer and 2023-24 All-American in senior forward Johni Broome. He was the only player to rank in the top 10 among SEC leaders in scoring (eighth, 16.5 points per game) and rebounding (second, 8.5 rpg)
- Their 2024 SEC championship was the third in program history
- As one of the top defenses in the country, the Tigers held opponents to 38.6% shooting from the field, ranked number two nationally
For the 2024-25 roster,
click here.
For the full 2024-25 schedule,
click here.
The regular season begins on Monday, Nov. 4, on national television, with a neutral site matchup in Xenia, Ohio, versus Indiana State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST, airing on FOX Channel 29 in the South Floirda area.
To stay up to date on all things FAU men's basketball, follow the Owls on social media @FAUMBB.
Florida Atlantic's 2024-25 season is sponsored by Phil Smith Kia/Phil Smith Acura.